North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) launched an initiative that is hoped will be transformative for Eri/muga silk cultivation in Meghalaya.
This initiative focuses on scientific advancements, farmer empowerment and market expansion, aimed at boosting sustainable silk production in the North East, a press release stated today.
As part of this effort, a skill training-cum-workshop on eri/muga silk production and livelihood improvement was held yesterday at the Central Silk Board in Tura. The Incubation Centre (LBI-MSME Incubator), at NEHU Tura campus, in collaboration with the Department of Sericulture, Central Silk Board, and ICAR-National Institute of Biotic Stress Management (ICAR-NIBSM), jointly conducted this event.
Delivering a keynote address, R Sasikumar, Nodal Officer at the NEHU Tura Incubation Centre, outlined the long-term vision of the initiative. “Our goal is to empower local sericulture farmers by equipping them with modern tools, knowledge and direct market access. By encouraging silk processing within the region and reducing dependency on middlemen, we aim to significantly enhance farmer incomes and establish Meghalaya as a leader in high-quality muga silk production,” he stated.
The Incubation Centre is assured to produce 20–25 tonnes of eri/muga silk annually by three different clusters of sericulture farmers ensuring quality compliance and sustainability.
As part of the training initiative, 150 registered farmers were provided input support materials – rearing tray, secateurs, rearing net, torch light, etc – to support scientific rearing techniques and increase production efficiency.
The training sessions included hands-on demonstrations on silkworm rearing, disease management and post-harvest processing to improve eri/muga silk quality. Over the past five years, the Incubation Centre has conducted several capacity building programmes, skill training, hands on training, method demonstration and distribution of input support materials.
Data from previous years indicates that eri/muga silk production in West Garo Hills was initially limited to 8-10 tonnes annually, with over 70 per cent of raw silk sold to Assam-based middlemen. However, recent interventions by the Incubation Centre will achieve the increased production to 30 tonnes per year, the release stated, with a goal of scaling up to 43 tonnes and generating Rs 200–300 crore in revenue through value-added silk products.
